MiddletownJournal.com

Any type of mistake on your resume can hurt your chances of securing a job interview. But misspelling your own job title? That's a particularly difficult error to recover from.

I've recently come across resumes from a "database traner," "home helth aid" and "interactivate designer." Mangling the spelling of your chosen industry in the first sentence of your cover letter is equally problematic.

COVER LETTER: "I'm a college graduate struggling in the meddia communications field."

We might know why.

In an increasingly competitive job market, producing a clean, error-free resume can help you stand apart from other applicants. To guard against an embarrassing goof, carefully proofread your work several times before sending it out. Some people find that slowly reading their documents aloud enables them to catch errors by focusing on individual words. Others ask detail-oriented friends to review the final draft before submitting it to prospective employers.

"EDUCATION: I'm graduating this Maybe."

When will you know for sure?

"JOB DUTIES: Security guard. Patrol the parking log."

We "wood" suggest you review your resume again.

"OBJECTIVE: I am ooking for a full-time position or an apprenticeship."

Looks like you lost the letter l.

Using proper punctuation is also imperative. This creative professional apparently dislikes commas:

COVER LETTER: "I know how to design websites. And newspapers. And magazines. And brochures. And intranets."

Anything else?

This administrative assistant, on the other hand, inserted one comma too many:

"JOB DUTIES: Make spreadsheets, pie, charts and various other products out of the data given to me."

Forget the spreadsheets and charts, we want to hear more about those pies!

Max Messmer is chairman and CEO of Robert Half International, a specialized staffing firm, and author of Managing Your Career For Dummies.